Is This a Brilliant Replacement for NFL Kickoffs, or a Stupid Idea?

The NFL made some changes to kickoffs this season, and they're working on ways to make PUNTS safer too. But Slate.com is reminding everyone of a radical idea Commissioner Roger Goodell had a while back to replace kickoffs.

Here it is: Rather than kicking off from a tee, a scoring team would re-take possession of the ball on their own 30-yard-line, in a 4th and 15 situations. They could punt it . . . like a typical fourth down . . . or they could attempt to go for it.

If they went for it and got the 15 yards, they'd KEEP possession. But if they failed, the other team would get the ball where it's downed, and naturally, that would be AMAZING field position.

This doesn't really solve the problems with punts, but it would eliminate kickoffs . . . and some people think it could make the game more exciting, by making it slightly easier for a team to pull off a big comeback.

For the record, there's no indication that the NFL is seriously considering this, especially since the idea has been around for a while now.

The NFL made some changes to kickoffs this season, and they're working on ways to make PUNTS safer too. But Slate.com is reminding everyone of a radical idea Commissioner Roger Goodell had a while back to replace kickoffs.

Here it is: Rather than kicking off from a tee, a scoring team would re-take possession of the ball on their own 30-yard-line, in a 4th and 15 situations. They could punt it . . . like a typical fourth down . . . or they could attempt to go for it.

If they went for it and got the 15 yards, they'd KEEP possession. But if they failed, the other team would get the ball where it's downed, and naturally, that would be AMAZING field position.

This doesn't really solve the problems with punts, but it would eliminate kickoffs . . . and some people think it could make the game more exciting, by making it slightly easier for a team to pull off a big comeback.

For the record, there's no indication that the NFL is seriously considering this, especially since the idea has been around for a while now. But it has started a debate . . . whether this is a BRILLIANT way to make the game more exciting, or if it's just STUPID, since it's too risky for any team to try unless they're desperate.